The present invention relates generally to pick-and-place tools for robotic devices or the like which are designed to pick a part or item from one location and place the part or item in another location.
There are many known pick-and-place apparatuses. Such conventional equipment generally includes a robotic arm or similar structure having a mechanism attached to one end of the arm for picking and placing an item. The mechanism may be of many different kinds of tools known to those skilled in the art such as, for example, a magnetic device, a vacuum or suction device, a mechanical device or any other known device, depending on the characteristics of the item to be picked and placed.
As is generally known, a common problem with conventional part pick-and-place equipment relates to the inability of such equipment to effectively and efficiently handle items of varying shapes, sizes or pickup needs, as is frequently required in today""s industry.
Accordingly, it is known to provide a part pick-and-place device with a vertical backbone-like frame. A plurality of slotted metal bars are adjustably mounted to the frame with conventional holding bolts with or without the use of mating nuts or lock nuts. Suction cups, magnets, mechanical grippers or the like are affixed to the free ends of the metal bars in order to pick-and-place an item as needed.
A problem with this type of known part picker and placer is the manner in which the slotted bars are adjusted with respect to the frame. In order to adjust the pick-and-place tool to accommodate items of different shapes, sizes or pickup needs, the holding bolts securing the slotted bars to the frame must be manually loosened to release the slotted bars from the frame. Thereafter, the slotted bars can be maneuvered such that the pick-and-place mechanism attached to the ends thereof can be properly positioned with respect to the items to be picked and placed. Not only is adjusting the bars in this manner cumbersome as well as time consuming, having to provide slots in the adjustable bars adds undesirable manufacturing costs to the overall pick-and-place tool.
Accordingly, what is needed is a pick-and-place tool which is easily adjustable for picking and placing a variety of items, which can be adjusted in an efficient manner, and which has enough versatility to be utilized in a number of different environments. The pick-and-place tool in accordance with the present invention accomplishes the foregoing features and yet is still economical to manufacture and use.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present invention are realized in one aspect thereof in which a pick-and-place tool includes a plate and at least one magnet attached to the plate. The magnet is easily moved to any location on the plate so as to enhance part picking and placing operations. In a further aspect of the present invention, the magnet includes a part manipulator coupled thereto so as to further enhance part picking and placing operations. In a preferred embodiment, the part manipulator is adjustably coupled to the magnet so that the part manipulator can be located in many different positions with respect to the plate without having to move the magnet, thereby allowing the pick-and-place tool to even better handle items of various shapes, sizes or pickup needs. In a highly preferred embodiment, there is provided a plurality of magnets and associated part manipulators which further increases the overall versatility of the pick-and-place tool.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following detailed description, claims and drawings in which like numerals are used to designate like features.